Rated R

Rated R

by Rihanna
Rated R

Rated R

by Rihanna

CD

$13.99 
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Overview

"Russian Roulette," released weeks prior to Rated R, just hinted at Rihanna's sudden desire to provoke. Even with the realization that it is metaphorical, the song startles with its hesitant gasps, spinning cylinders, and verses that are glacially paced, where a cold piano line and the slight inflections in Rihanna's voice are front and center. And then there's an audible shudder followed by a discharged bullet -- the abrupt end to one of Rated R's most restrained moments. It's not the only instance where Rihanna's rise in fame, combined with being the victim in the decade's highest-profile felonious assault, add up to a perfect-storm scenario for a creative overhaul. Rated R is more like Good Girl Gone Evil, or Abused Girl Full of Vengeful Rage, not Good Girl Gone Bad, where the only casualties were some dishes. The closest the set gets to upbeat pop is "Rude Boy," and by any standard it is stern; needless to say, there is quite a difference between "Can you get it up?" and "You can stand under my umbrella." Much of this daring album is absolutely over the top, bleak and sleek both lyrically and sonically, but it's compelling, filled with as many memorably belligerent lines -- two of which, "I pitch with a grenade/Swing away if ya feeling brave" and "I'm such a fuckin' lady," set the tone early on -- as a rap album made ripe for dissection. "G4L," over a low-slung and sleek production, is the most fantastical of all, in which Rihanna leads a band of homicidal women, opening with "I lick the gun when I'm done 'cause I know that revenge is sweet" and "Any mothaf*cka wanna disrespect/Playin' with fire finna get you wet." The breakup song, "Fire Bomb," even though it is also metaphorical, is a close second in terms of lyrical extremity: "I just wanna set you on fire so I won't have to burn alone." Some of the breathers -- the songs that are less intense -- hold the album back since Rihanna sounds detached from them. The one exception is the wistful, bittersweet "Photographs," a rare instance of the singer dropping her guard, but it really sticks out since it is surrounded by material that has her taking the variably authentic roles of abused lover, dominatrix, and murderer. Whether the album seems ridiculous or spectacular (or both), Rihanna's complete immersion in the majority of the songs cannot be disputed. That is the one thing that is not up for debate. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date: 11/23/2009
Label: Def Jam
UPC: 0602527283715
Rank: 35821

Tracks

  1. Mad House [Explicit Version]
  2. Wait Your Turn [Explicit Version]
  3. Hard [Explicit Version]
  4. Stupid in Love [Explicit Version]
  5. Rockstar 101 [Explicit Version]
  6. Russian Roulette [Explicit Version]
  7. Fire Bomb [Explicit Version]
  8. Rude Boy [Explicit Version]
  9. Photographs [Explicit Version]
  10. G4L
  11. Te Amo [Explicit Version]
  12. Cold Case Love [Explicit Version]
  13. The Last Song [Explicit Version]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rihanna   Primary Artist
Ben Harrison   Guitar
Jon Epcar   Drums
Jessie Bonds   Guitar
Davis Barnett   Viola
Keith Harris   Strings
Bernt Rune Stray   Guitar
James Fauntleroy   Vocals (Background)
James J. Cooper III   Celli,Soloist
Makeba Riddick   Vocals (Background)
Beardyman   Vocals
Allen White   Guitar (Acoustic)
Slash   Featured Artist,Featured Artist
Glenn Fischbach   Celli
Brian Kennedy   Keyboards
Tim Stewart   Guitar
Caleb Speir   Bass
Future Cut   Keyboards
Gregory Teperman   Violin
Olga Konopelsky   Violin
Igor Szwec   Violin
Monte Neuble   Keyboards
Charles Parker   Violin
Alain Whyte   Guitar (Acoustic)
Emma Kummrow   Violin
Jeezy   Vocals,Featured Artist
will.i.am   Synthesizer,Featured Artist
Luigi Mazzocchi   Violin,Soloist
Peter Nocella   Viola

Technical Credits

Alex Haldi   Design
Daniel Parry   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith   A&R
Tor Erik Hermansen   Composer,Musician,Instrumentation
Ben Harrison   Composer,Additional Production
Status   Producer,Producer
B. Kennedy Seals   Composer
Cedric Culnaert   Assistant Engineer
Sebastien Salis   Assistant Engineer
Chris "Tek" O'Ryan   Engineer
Marcos Taylor   Engineer
Bobby Campbell   Assistant
Pater Martinez   Assistant
Brian "B-Luv" Thomas   Engineer
Carl Styrken   Executive Producer
Xavier Stephenson   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Mykael Alexander   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Mike "TrakGuru" Johnson   Engineer
AJ Clark   Assistant Engineer
Chase   Producer,Producer
Michael McHenry   Composer
Saul Milton   Composer
Chew Fu   Remixing,Programming,Remix Producer
Allan Pineda   Composer
Tor Erik Germansen   Composer
Takura Tendayi   Composer
Christopher Stewart   Composer
Terius Nash   Composer
Will Kennard   Composer
William Adams   Composer
Robyn Fenty   Composer
Kevin KD Davis   Mixing
Charles Harmony   Composer
Evan Rogers   Executive Producer
S. Smith   Composer
Ne-Yo   Producer
Kevin Porter   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Antonio Reid   Executive Producer
James Fauntleroy   Composer
Rob Swire   Composer
Andrew Wuepper   Engineer
Giancarlo Lino   Mixing Assistant
Paul Foley   Engineer
Jason Sherwood   Assistant Engineer
Ghazi Hourani   Mixing Assistant
The-Dream   Composer,Producer
Shaffer Smith   Composer
Jared Newcomb   Mixing Assistant
Marcos Tovar   Engineer
Rick Friedrich   Assistant Engineer
Jaime Martinez   Mixing Assistant
Makeba Riddick   Composer,Vocal Producer
M. Riddick   Composer
J. Baptiste   Composer
Steven Dennis   Assistant Engineer
Charles Harmon   Composer
Jay Jenkins   Composer
Free School   Additional Production
Ys   Producer
Jean Baptiste   Composer
Karl Heilbron   Vocal Engineer
Ellen Von Unwerth   Photography
Sean Tallman   Engineer
Mariel Haenn   Stylist
Ciarra Pardo   Design,Art Direction
Antonio Resendiz   Assistant
Tyler Van Dalen   Assistant Engineer
Ross Parkin   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Simon Henwood   Design,Stylist,Photography,Art Direction
Padraic Kerin   Engineer
Mike Johnson   Engineer
Brian Seals   Composer
R. Swire   Musician,Producer,Instrumentation
Brian Kennedy   Producer,Programming
Jay Brown   A&R
Mike McHenry   Composer
Robin Tadross   Composer
The Y's   Producer
B. Kennedy   Composer
Kevin Hanson   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Stargate   Producer
Chase & Status   Musician,Producer,Instrumentation
Dylan Dresdow   Mixing
Future Cut   Programming
Pat Thrall   Engineer
Jean-Marie Horvat   Mixing
Justin Timberlake   Composer
Rihanna   Design,Composer,Art Direction,Executive Producer
Mikkel Storleer Eriksen   Composer,Engineer,Musician,Vocal Producer,Instrumentation
JP Robinson   Design,Photography,Art Direction
T. Tendayi   Composer
B. Harrison   Composer
Neil Tucker   Assistant,Guitar Engineer
Alain Whyte   Composer
Montez Roberts   Assistant Engineer
C. Stewart   Composer
Jaycen Joshua   Mixing
Chuck Harmony   Producer
Paper-Boy   Additional Production
Ester Dean   Composer
will.i.am   Engineer,Producer,Drum Programming
Anthony Palazzole   Mixing Assistant
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart   Composer,Producer
Luis Navarro   Assistant Engineer
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